Sheet of metal or material



Sept. 15, 1931. F. HUMPHRIS 1,823,802

SHEET OF METAL OR MATERIAL Filed Dec. 20, 1928 A TTOR/VE Y Patented Sept. 15, 1931 UNITED STATES FRANK HUMPHRIS, F fAR-KSTONE, ENGLAND sHEE'ror METAL 0R MATERIAL Application filed December 20, 1928, Serial No. 327,411, and inGreat Britain December 10, 1927.

This invention consists of an improved sheet of metal or material used in the manufacture of articles. According to this invention a sheet of metal or material, hereinafter referred to as the sheet, is, before being employed in a press or like machine for the purpose of manufacturing blanks or articles therefrom, provided with two irregularlyshaped marginal-edges which are formed so as to haverseveral cut-out-parts each conforming or approximately conforming in shape to either a half or to a greater or lesser part of the profile of whatever size of blank is afterwards, progressively and preferably in rows, cut or punched out of such sheet'during the manufacture or of any stage in producing blanks or articles therefrom. Each irregularly-shaped marginal-edge of the said sheet is remote one from the other and the cut-out-parts are arranged therein at such a pitch-distance apart as to allow the said sheet to be fed into, through and out of a press or like machine, equipped with one or more rows of suitably-formed punch and die-tools without the riskof half-blanks, part-blanks or any sheared or cut-oft parts may get into the die-tools. In known methods it is necessary that the operation be continually interrupted so as to remove these half-blanks or part-blanks, otherwise the die-tools would become choked, broken, or chipped as the result of the side stresses imposed thereon or of the wedging of such half-blanks or partblanks therein; therefore the provision of 5 an improved sheet of metal or material which s has been previouslyadapted and prepared as disclosed in this invention is of great practical utility particularly as its use ensures that the constant feeding of such adapted and prepared sheets is maintained in a follow-on manner and in rapid succession and with one irregularly-shaped marginal-edge of one sheet contiguous with another irregularlyshaped marginal-edge of any other of my adapted and prepared sheets following it into and through the said press or like machine.

In the known methods of producing articles such as pen nibs or nails folded from sheet metal blanks, or plain blanks, it has T not been possible, without stopping the press or like machine and feeding the sheet by hand, to produce such articles without the punches and dies in'the press or like machine cutting half-blanks or part-blanks firstly 5 from that marginal-edge which first enters into, and secondly from that marginal-edge ofthe said sheet remote therefrom as it leaves or passes out of the cutting position of the punches and dies employed in the said press,

and it is to overcome the cutting of such halfblanks or part-blanks that the present invention has been devised.

An object'of this invention is to provide a sheet of metal or material whichis adapted 5 and prepared previous to its being used to manufacture blanks or. articles therefrom with two irregularly-shaped marginal-edges,

each such marginal-edge being .remote one from the other on the said sheet and so '7 formed as to have several cut-'out-parts each conforming or approximately conforming inshape and sizeto either one half, or to a greater or lesser part of the profile or contour of whatever particular form of blank it is intended to subsequently out or punch out of suchadapted and prepared sheet'so that half-blanks or part-blanks cannot result as is ordinarily the case when known methods are employed. Another object of this invention is to provide sheets of metal 'or material previously adapted or prepared in'the manner disclosed herein which enable the continuous and uninterrupted feeding thereof into and through 555 a press or like machine provided with suitable dies and punches to'be accomplished without stopping the said press ,or like machine. v

The invention will now be described with like. machine.

reference to the accompanying drawings, in Which:

Figure 1 is a view showing two end parts of a plain sheet of metal adapted and prepared according to this invention and before blanks or articles are produced therefrom.

Figure 2 is a View showing similar end parts of an adapted and prepared sheet of the kind shown in Figure 1 after it has had blanks or articles cut out therefrom.

Figure 3 is a view showing four corner parts of an adapted and prepared sheet after it has been fed through a press or like machine and had pen-nib from.

Figure 4 is a view showing four corner parts of an adapted and prepared sheet beforeit has been fed through a ,press or like machine to have chain-link 1 blanks, indicated by dotted lines, removed therefrom.

Like letters of reference refer to like parts throughout the drawings.

A plain orimperforated sheet of metal or material A, before it is fed into a press or like machine for the purpose of having blanks or articles produced therefrom, is so cut or formed on, two of its marginal edges a, each remote one from the other, as to produce marginal-edges aof irregular shape which are produced during the forming of the cutout-parts 6-,. this essential conditionbeing brought about by adapting and preparing a sheet of metal or material according to this invention. These cut-out-parts b are correctly spaced and arrangedat a correct pitchdistance apart,bothlongitudinally and transversely of the said sheet, to suitthe size, location and pitch-distance of whatever blanks are subsequently to be cut from such sheet; the said cut-out parts I) are also each of such shape as to conform or approximately conform to either one half or to a part of the contour of each blank hole B or of each blank or article (not shown) which it is intended .to subsequently produce from such sheet of metal or material.

In operation an adapted and prepared sheet provided according to this invention with its cut-out-parts b thereinis fed into and away from the operative cutting movement of the punches and dies in a press or One side of the said punches passes into and nearly touches or actually rubs, but without cutting, the first engaged edges of the cut-out-parts b of the said sheet and the other side of the said punches passes into and nearly touches or actually rubs, but without cutting, the last engaged edges of the other cut-out-parts. b of the said sheet, therefore the so-called pitch-distance between these reversely arranged cut-out-parts b or of the said two reversel-y arranged irregularly-shaped marginal edges a is always so arrange'das to suit the size of the sheet and blanks removed tl1ereblank.

,the shape of the blanks subsequently to be cut from the said sheet, and therefore the feeding of the said sheet into and through a press or like machine is so arranged or set as to suit that pitch-distance necessary to bring the cut-out parts 6 located in the irregularlyshaped marginal-edge a of the sheet finally passing out from the cutting action of the punches in the correct position or location for the said punches to correctly register therewith and enter therein.

It will be obvious that the irregularlyshaped marginal-edges a with their cut-outparts 6 can be produced by several known All sheets of metal or material embodying the cut-out-parts b, hereinbefore referred to, have two marginal edges at the so-called sides of such sheet which are either left plain or are. provided with holes, notches, slits or the like of any known form to serve as means for enabling the said sheet to be impelled or fed into and through a press orlike machine and also for locating the said sheet therein during blanking.

The edges of the cut-out-parts. b which correspond or approximately correspond in shape to that part of the contour of the hereinbefore referred to blank-holes B are in each case formed in my. adapted and prepared sheet at a like pitch-distance tion one to the other.

1. Sheet material prepared for use in a blanking press from which parts of the leading edge of the sheet have been cut out to the contour of part of one'side of a blank to be cut from the sheet, and parts of the trailing edge of the sheet have been cut out to the contour of part of the opposite side of a 2. Sheet material prepared for use in a blanking press from which parts of the leading edge of the sheet have been cut out to the contour of part of one sideof a blank to be cut from the sheet, and parts of the trailing edge of the sheet have been cut out to the contour of part of the opposite side of a blank, the parts of each edge of the sheet thus cut being spaced apart at distances along that edge corresponding to the spacing apart in relaof blanking dies to the operation whereof the prepared sheet is to be subjected.

3. Sheet material prepared for use in a blanking press from which parts of the leading edge of the sheet have been cut out to the contour of part of one side of a blank to be cut from the sheet, and parts of the trailing edge of the sheet have been cut out to the contour of part of the opposite side of a blank, the parts cut in one edge being spaced from parts out in the other edge by a multiple of the pitch distance of the blanking faces of the die by Which blanks are to be cut from the sheet.

FRANK HUMPHRIS. 

